Plural stage cutter-roll mill for subdividing mucilaginous material



Jan. 28, 1 947. M. CORNELL 2,414,855

PLURAL STAGE CUTTER-ROLL MILL FOR SUBDIVIDING MU CILAGINOUS MATERIAL Filed July 10, 1944 2 Sheets-Shet l INVENTOR. N MEAD CORNELL BY 0 S ATTORNEYS 1311.28, 1947. I CORNELL 1 2,414,855

PLURAL STAGE CUTTER-ROLL MILL FOR SUBDIVIDING MUCILAGINOUS MATERIAL Filed July,l0, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 7h M I INI-/ENTOR. Zcgy. L. I

MEAD CORN EHL BY Patented Jan. 28, 1947 PLURAL STAGE CUTTER-ROLL MILL FOR SUBDIVIDIN G MUCILAGINOUS MATERIAL Mead Cornell, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Cornell Machine Com corporation of Ohio pany, Cleveland, Ohio, a

Application July 10, 1944, Serial No. 544,323

2 Claims.

1 This invention relates as indicated to an improved means for mechanically subdividing masses. of mucilaginous material such as for example blocks of hard grease which, after initial solidification, need be reworked in order to impart thereto the desired consistency for use.

It is a principal object of my invention to provide an apparatus of the character described which is simple in its construction and mode of operation while at the same time capable of performing the operation at economical costs.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention then comprises the features hereinafter fullydescribed and particularlypointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail. certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the apparatus of my invention and which is capable of performing the method of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view drawn to an enlarged scale of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 taken on a plane substantially indicated by the line 3--3;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional viewof the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 taken on a plane substantially indicated by the line 4--4; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View drawn to an enlarged scale of a portion of the periphery of one of the rolls illustrated in the previous figures, such view being taken on a plane substantially indicated by the line 55 on Fig. 6; and

Fi 6 is a transverse sectional view of the element illustrated in Fig. 5 taken on a plane substantially indicated by the line 6-6.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings and more especially to Figures 1 and 2, the apparatus here illustrated as embodying one form of my invention comprises a suitable base I on which is mounted a housing generally indicated at 2. Journalled in the housing 2 are a plurality of shafts 3, 4, 5, and 6 as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 2. Where these shaftspass through the sides of the housing 2, they are carriedfin antifriction bearings such as those illustrated at l in Fig. 3. Suitable stufling boxes or gland members may be provided about each of the shafts for the purpose of preventing excretion of the material being treated about the shafts.

Each of the shafts 3 to 6 is provided on one end with a gear such as 8 keyed thereto. The gears 8 on the shafts 3 and 4 are in mesh. The gears B on the shafts 5 and 6 mesh with idler pinions suchas 9 carried by idler shaftslfl and l I. The idlers 9 are in turn in mesh with the gears on the shafts 3 and 4. The shaft 3 isj'longer than the remaining shafts 4 to 6 and has terminally keyed thereto a belt pulley l2. The base Icarries a suitable prime mover such as an electric motor l3 which is also provided with a belt pulley l4. A belt 15 trained about the pulleys l2 and I4 connects the motor 13 to each of the shafts through the gearing arrangement described. In this connection it will be observed that the direction of rotation of the several main shafts 3 to 6 is as indicated by the arrows on Fig. 2.

Secured to each of the shafts 3 to 6 is a drum generally indicated at IS in Fig. 4. Each of the drums l6 comprises a cylindrical shell l1, into the opposite ends of which are welded annular members l8 and I9, such annular members being connected to the corresponding shaft either by weldingo-r by means of keys or the like.

The outer periphery of each of the drums I6 is provided with a radially and axially extending land 20, the outer surface of which is serrated as at 2| in Figs. 5 and 6. In this connection, it should be observed that the serrations 2| are, in the preferred embodiment of my invention. preferably short sections of a helix, that is, the serrations formed on the lands of a single drum are such as to constitute that drum a structure re-' sembling a large-sized tap.

The. shaft in the upper left-hand corner of the assembly illustrated in each of Figs. 1 and 2 is carried by a pair of arms 22 and 23, the latter being pivotally supported at their lower ends 24 and 25 respectively on the idler shaft l0. An oblong hole 26 is' provided in each side of the housing 2 so that as the paired arms are rocked about the shaft ill, the roll carried by the main shaft 5 may be moved toward and away from the roller which is carried by the shaft 6.

The arms or brackets 22 and 23 are, at their upper ends, provided with elongated holes such as 30 shown in Fig. 2 through which pass bolts 3! threaded at their ends into the side of the casing 2 and by which the angular position of the brackets 22 and 23, and accordingly the relative position of the shaft 5 with respect to the shaft 6, may be adjusted.

Mounted above the casing 2 is a feed chute 32 through which the material to be treated may be fed to the apparatus. The casing 2 is mounted on a goose-neck fitting '33 through which the treated material is discharged. The fitting 33 is provided with an opening 33a in one side thereof from which leads a conduit 34 t the feed chute 32 for the purpose hereinafter more fully explained.

The operation of the described apparatus in carrying out my novel method is briefly as follows:

The material to be treated, which generally consists of large chunks or bricks of hard grease, is fed downwardly through the chute 32 until they come into engagement with the upper pair of rolls carried by the shafts and E.

The distance between the upper pair of rolls a should be adjusted so that the space therebetween is less than the greatest dimension of at least most of the chunks of material fed to the apparatus. The space between the lower pair of rolls is such that the outer peripheries thereof as defined by the outer diameter of the projections on the lands 2B are actually in overlapping relation. g

The apparatus is driven by means of the motor l3 at a speed such that the centrifugal force acting on the particles of material under treatment will be greater than the adhesive force which tends to cause such particles to adhere to the outer periphery of the drums. Accordingly, the upper pair of drums will project astream of material shredded from the chunks of raw material downwardly to the space between the lower pair of rolls where it will be projected by the latter pair of rolls through the discharge fitting 33. The chunks which pass through the space between the upper pair of rolls are mechanically subdivided by the cutters on the lower pair of rolls andthe entire mass then discharged through the fitting 33.

The tangential velocity above defined, at which the various rolls should be operated, is a critical factor. By operating at such speed, the rolls are at all times self-cleaning. This is important not only to increase the efficiency of the rolls in their action in reducing or subdividing the chunks of material under treatment but, of equal importance, insures, that the material thus subdivided is not trapped and caused to be heated by excessive working. Thisis particularly important in the cold working of grease where the lattice structure within the grease particles as produced by the initial chilling should not be destroyed which would occur were the grease heated up to the point where it again became a liquid mass.

To further insure that there will be no trapped masses of the material under treatment which might thus become heated, I have provided the overflow conduit 34. Generally, apparatus of this character is employed in conjunction with other equipment such as a homogenizer or weighing or packaging device. If, for some reason, the apparatus connected to the discharge fitting 33 should block the continued delivery of the pres-v ent apparatus, the fitting 33 would soon become completely filled with grease and the grease would back up into the space occupied by the rolls in the housing 2. The violent churning action which would ensue would result in an excessive heating of the grease. By providing the return conduit 34, the pressure within the fitting 33 is relieved and the condition just described prevented.

While the described apparatus is particularly suitable for the cold working of grease and the like, it will be apparent that my apparatus may be used in the treatment of other materials.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards .the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus for mechanically subdividing masses of mucilaginous material, the combination of a feed chute; an upper pair of rotatably supported rolls and a lower pair of rotatably supported rolls with the space between said paired rolls progressively decreasing, radially extending, spirally arranged cutters on the periphery of each of said rolls, means for adjustably varying the space between at least one of said pairs of rolls, means for driving all of said pairs of rolls so that the rolls in each pair rotate in an opposite direction and at a tangential velocity sufficiently high so that the centrifugal force operating on a particle of the material under treatment is greater than the adhesive force tending to cause the same to adhere to said rolls and means for collecting the subdivided particles discharged by centrifugal force from said lower pair of rolls, such collecting means comprising a discharge fitting, there being a return conduit providing communication between said discharge fitting and said feed chute, so as to prevent violent churning of the mucilaginous material upon blocking of delivery through said discharge open- 2. In apparatus for mechanically subdividing masses of mucilaginous material, the combination of a feed chute; an upper pair of rotatably supported rolls and a lower pair of rotatably supported rolls with the. space between said paired rolls progressively decreasing, radially extending, spirally arranged cutters 0n the periphery of each of said rolls, means for adjustably varying the space between at least one of said pairs of rolls, means for driving all of said pairs of rolls so that the rolls in each pair rotate in an opposite direction and at a tangential velocity sulficiently high so that the centrifugal force operating on a particle of the material under treatment is greater than the adhesive force tending to cause the same to adhere to said rolls and means for collecting the subdivided particles discharged by centrifugal force from said lower pair of rolls, such collecting means comprising a discharge fitting, there being a return conduit providing communication between said discharge fitting and said feed chute, so as to prevent violent churning of the mucilaginous material upon blocking of delivery through said discharge opening, said means for driving all of said pairs of rolls including shafts upon which said rolls are mounted, gears keyed to said shafts and an idler gear between the gear on the shaft of an upper roll and the gear on the shaft of a lower roll, whereby all of said gears are driven at a constant speed regardless of the space between rolls.

T MEAD CORNELL. 

